Stalls are degraded, many items are no longer safe, the capacity from about 30,000 seats is now only about 10,000 seats. Long An Stadium (Tay Ninh province), once one of the memorable "hot pots" of Mekong Delta football, is facing a major turning point after more than four decades of existence.
For Long An football fans, this is not just a stadium. It is also a place to preserve memories of the years Dong Tam Long An made waves in the V.League, especially with two consecutive championships in 2005 and 2006. At that time, Long An stadium was bustling with the cheers of tens of thousands of fans every time the team stepped onto the home field.
From "hotpots" to empty stands
Long An Stadium is nearly 75,000m2 wide, including a training and sports competition center, a sports school, a swimming pool, a collective housing area, a dining hall,... The project was built 42 years ago, located in the center of Long An ward, in the administrative center of Tay Ninh province and about 50km from Ho Chi Minh City.
This used to be the home stadium of Dong Tam Long An club. Under coach Calisto, the team went through the most glorious period with two consecutive V.League championships in 2005 and 2006. Dong Tam Long An was then considered a "second brother of the garden", becoming the pride of Southwestern football.
Mr. Tran Van De - a loyal fan of Dong Tam Long An, still remembers the dramatic matches between "Brick - Wood". These confrontations once created a special attraction, when Dong Tam Long An and Hoang Anh Gia Lai were considered two big symbols of the early V.League period. The derby matches were once attractive enough to fans and the media.
But football has changed, the team is declining, and the stadium is also gradually sinking into desolation. For more than 10 years, people have still been able to enter the stadium for free. However, since Long An club was relegated to the First Division in 2017, the atmosphere here has become deserted. The rooms below the stands have to be closed due to serious degradation, no longer ensuring safety.
Auction stopped, stadium faces a new face
The degradation of the project has led to major changes. About 200 officials and athletes once had to be arranged temporary accommodation and training grounds when the stadium was handed over to carry out auction procedures.
In August 2023, the house and land facility was decided to be transferred to the Land Fund Development Center under the Department of Natural Resources and Environment at that time to implement the auction of land use rights. However, on August 26, 2026, Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee said that it had abolished this policy because it was no longer suitable for the actual situation and the requirements for managing and using public assets.
Instead of continuing the auction plan with an estimated amount of more than 1,800 billion VND, the province will study a plan to manage and use the overall land area in the general urban plan of Tan An, aiming to improve the living environment for people.
For Long An football lovers, this change also means that the stadium may face the risk of being "killed off". Because what may disappear is not simply a sports project.
Dong Tam Long An was relegated for the first time in 2011, returned to the V.League in 2013, but no longer competed for the throne. At the end of the 2017 season, the team continued to be relegated for the second time. Before the 2024-2025 season, when sponsor Dong Tam withdrew, the team almost could not participate in the First Division due to lack of funds and had to find a sponsor to continue playing.
The journey from the peak of fame to the brink of oblivion has lasted two decades. Long An Stadium may have a different face, old stands may no longer exist, the lights that once shone on fiery matches may also only remain in memory.
